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(N0 Mem J B ZUMDIGK GUIDE POR FURNITURE DRAWBRS. No. 475,230. Patented May 1,'7, 1892.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN B. ZUMDICK, OF COVINGTON, KENTUCKY, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO JOHN HENRY ZUMDICK, OF SAME PLACE.

GUIDE FOR FURNITURE-DRAWERS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 475,230, dated May 17, 1892.

Application filed February 8, 1892. Serial No. 420,726. (No model To all whom it may concern.-

Beit known thatI, JOHN B. ZUMDICK, a citizen of the United States, residing at Covington, in the county of Kenton and State of Kentucky, have invented new and useful Improvements in Guides for Furniture-Drawers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has for its objects to provide a novel, simple, and efficient guide for furniture-drawers which can be readily adjusted according to the conditions required where articles of furniture vary in depth, and to provide novel means for retaining the roller-bearing of a furniture-drawer in engagement with the rail on which the roller-bearing travels, while permitting the complete withdrawal of the drawer from the article of furniture, if occasion demands.

To accomplish all these objects my invention involves the features of construction and the combination or arrangement of devices hereinafter described and claimed, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a vertical central sectional view showing my invention applied to an article of furniture, a portion of the latter being represented by dotted lines. Fig. 2 is a detail perspective view of the improved guide, showing a rear portion of the drawer. Fig. 3 is a detail view of the innermost bracket to which one end of the elastic roller-detaining guide is riveted; and Fig. 4 is a detail perspective view of the bracket, omitting the guide-rail and the roller-detaining guide.

In order to enable those skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will now describe the same in detail, referring to the drawings, wherein- The numeral 1 indicates an article of furniture, which may be a bureau or any other casing, provided with a drawer or a series of drawers adapted to be slid horizontally into and out of the casing.

Inasmuch as the article of furniture itself does not constitute any essential part of the invention I do not deem it essential to further illustrate the same. The sliding drawer 2 is provided with the usual cross-piece 3 at its rear, to the central portion of which is rigidly attached a pendent bracket 4, formed at its lower end with a pair of curved arms 5,which constitute bearings for the axle 6 of a grooved roller-bearing 7, adapted to travel back and forth on a horizontal guide-rail S. The horizontal guide-rail is screw-threaded at one extremity, as at 9, and screws into a screwt-hreaded socket formed in the boss 10 of a bracket-plate 12, adapted to be attached by screws 13 or otherwise, to the front rail 14 on 6o which the drawer bears and slides as it is moved into or out of the article of furniture or casing 1. The inner end of the guide-rail is screw-threaded for a considerable portion of its length, as at 15, and is screwedinto the boss 16 of a bracket-plate 17, adapted to be attached by screws to the rear wall or some other suitable stationary part of the article of furniture or casing l. By constructing the guide-rail S with a screw-thread l5, as 7o shown, it is possible to adjust the bracketplate 17 along the length of the guide-rail for the purpose of applying the improved guide to articles of furniture which vary in depth.

If the bracket-plate l7 is adjusted a consid- 7 5 cavity 18, so that it is approximately flush with the upper surface of the bracket-plate 17. The extremity of the bent end 2O of the detaining-guide 2l is riveted or upset to secure it rigidly in position at this point. The

detaining-guide extends substantially par- 9o allel with the guide-rail 8 and its free extremity terminates in proximity to the front bracket-plate 12, so that a horizontal guideway 22 is provided, and the space between the front bracket-plate l2 andthe free ex- 95 trelnity of the detaining-guide 2l constitutes an exit-passage 23 for a purpose hereinafter explained. The detaining-guide is preferably composed of an elastic wire and engages the annular groove in the roller-bearing 7, so that 10o rlhe rear bracket-plate 1'7 is formed 8o while the latter can freely traverse the guiderail 8 such roller-bearing is yieldingly held down upon the guide-rail and its disengagement therefrom is entirely avoided. If it is desired to entirely withdraw the d rawer 2 from the article of furniture or casing l, this can be accomplished, since the rolier-bcaring can escape through the exit-passage 23; but under ordinary circumstances the bracket 4, which carries the roller-bearing 7,willabntthe front bracket-plate 12 to prevent the complete withdrawal of the drawer unless the latter is intentionally manipulated for the purpose of withdrawing it, in which event the beveled rear ends 24 of the drawer permitsuchmovement thereof as will render the roller-bearing susceptible of passing out through the exitpassage 23.

My invention provides a very simple, eificient, and economical guide for a furniture- A drawer, and since one or both bracket-plates are adjustable along the length of the guiderail it is obvious that the improved guide can be readily and conveniently applied to articles of furniture which vary in depth.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is- The combinatiomwith a sliding drawer having a `grooved roller-bearing, of a horizontal guide-rail provided at each extremity with a bracket-plate, one of which is formed with a screw socket adapted to screw along the length of the rail, and an elastic roller-retaining` guide rigidly attached at one extremity to one of the bracket-plates and terminating at the opposite extremity in proximity to the other bracket-plate to provide an exit-passage for the roller-bearing, substantially as described.

ln testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and afiixed my seal in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN B. ZUMDICK.

1Witnesses:

JAMES A. RU'rHEnFoi-m, JAMES L. Nomus,

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